Hellobee Boards

I did this. At the meeting where I got the job offer I responded with, "I want to provide full disclosure that I'm pregnant." I work for a small company in an older, male dominated profession and honestly it worked out lovely. Similar to @bloved: I proceeded to have a complicated pregnancy (bed rest at the end due to bleeding), but we all had the mentale that I was the right hire for the long term and that pregnancy is just a part of life. 3 years later and I'm still working here.

FWIW, I didn't find pregnancy to really impact my work product until the end. First tri is hard, but I went on Zofran immediately (before all the scandals) and never had true exhaustion. I actually think becoming a parent is what impacted it the most and since you are already a parent, you already know that "groove."

6 months is a long time. I was 2 months pregnant when I started my job and my boss said the 8 weeks I was out reminded him how much I already do to make his life easier.

I also work in a male-dominated field and job where long hours are valued, so just wanted to offer a few words of encouragement! I have definitely experienced self-imposed stress from pregnancy (and even more so from parenting) when I can't do everything I once did at my job. For the most part, everyone at work has been incredibly supportive of everything, but there is also a degree to which I find the men I work with are oblivious to what you might be going through and wind up unintentionally being difficult.

I'm sure you will figure out a good balance, and I echo the prior posters that six months is more time than you might think to make a positive impression. My advice, though, would be to be super up-front about everything. You could tell people on a pretty normal schedule (maybe not your first day, but I wouldn't necessarily wait until 5 months, especially if you're showing by then) and just be straight up about it--I know I just started here, but I'm very dedicated to being at this job for the long term, and I am committed to demonstrating my value before I go out on leave.

At the end of the day, even four months of leave passes really quickly and as soon as you're back people will forget you were out. Also, to the extent that your field is not as accommodating of women having families than it should be (I know mine is not), sometimes it helps to remember that by taking a stand and taking a full leave, etc., you are normalizing that choice for other women who work with you or may come after you! I felt fairly isolated when I went out on maternity leave, but when I was around 7 months pregnant, like 4 other attorneys I work with announced they were pregnant and I felt good that we were all in it together.

Also, CONGRATULATIONS on the pregnancy and the new job! Sounds like some exciting stuff happening!

ETA: Did you experience "mommy brain" while at work with your first? I heard a few jokes about it at work and was pretty adamant about shutting them down immediately. Exhaustion was of course always something to contend with, but I never felt like my brain wasn't working the way it always has.

@cityliving: so I faced (and continue to face) a fair amount of negative judgement and sexism from my colleagues, even the young ones! However, I was extraordinarily organized, focused, and productive during my pregnancy and really demonstrated my value with my work product. I think you can do this, too! Honestly, "mommy brain" wasn't a problem for me at all once I came back to work. My biggest challenge was managing to pump at work, and I wish I had gone in with a better plan.